This invention relates to hand-held carriers for skis and ski poles, and in particular, to a hand-held carrier especially adapted for carrying parabolic or shaped skis.
The newest trend in skiing has been the introduction of parabolic or shaped skis. Skis of this new design have become extremely popular for downhill skiing because they make turning and carving in snow substantially easier as compared with conventional skis. Moreover, this ski design employs a boot heel plate in the bindings which raises the skier higher on the skis, thereby more evenly distributing the skier""s weight over the skis for improved control.
Skiers typically lock and transport their skis and ski poles with hand-held ski carriers. These ski carriers are presently produced in many different designs most of which use a clamping mechanism to hold the skis.
Unfortunately, existing ski carrier designs can not accommodate parabolic or shaped skis because the boot heel plates incorporated in their bindings significantly increase the skis"" mid-section width. Further, conventional ski carriers are inconvenient and time consuming to use as the skier must kneel down on the ground to place the skis in the carrier and fold the sides of the carrier together.
Accordingly, a hand-held ski carrier is needed which is capable of carrying parabolic, shaped, or conventional skis and is convenient to use.
A carrier for carrying skis and associated ski poles, the carrier comprising a receptacle defining first and second elongated compartments each sized for holding a section of a ski and its associated ski-boot binding hardware. The carrier further comprises first and second closures pivotally coupled to upper portions of the receptacle, for respectively closing the first and second compartments.
One aspect of the invention involves proving first and second cavities formed by the receptacle and closures for clamping a pair of ski poles to the carrier.
Another aspect of the invention involves providing the closures with integral handle sections that come together to form a single carrying handle when the closures are pivoted to close the compartments.
Still another aspect of the invention involves forming the receptacle with a generally w-shape.
A further aspect of the invention involves sizing the compartments for parabolic skis.